Exclusive! WGN America's New Lineup

Another Beachwood Special Report

"Salem is the first step in a strategy by the Tribune Company, owner of WGN America, to transform the superstation into a full-fledged cable network, creating yet another competitor in the increasingly crowded field of purveyors of distinctive television drama," the New York Timesreports.

"Tribune now wants WGNA to become a destination for viewers interested in distinctive drama, as networks like AMC and FX have done. All it takes is one show to put a network on the map: The Shield did that for FX, and Mad Men for AMC."

The Beachwood, as it is wont to do, has obtained WGN America's closely held unannounced programming guide. To wit:

* Madder Men. This fictional agency has a tobacco agency from the get-go, never hires a black person and keeps all women in the secretarial pool. It is set in the '80s.

* The Shielding. A big-city police department covers up a death in an entertainment district because the mayor's nephew is involved.